Overview

A school of the future

The state of Florida is ranked No. 1 in higher education for the second year in a row by U.S. News & World Report and the State University System institutions in Florida, of which Florida Polytechnic University (Florida Poly) is one of twelve, have had more utility patents awarded in the past five years than any other entity in Florida. During the past five years, degree production in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and Health disciplines have increased more than degrees outside of STEM/Health for both baccalaureate degrees and graduate degrees. In the last five years at the baccalaureate level, STEM/Health degrees have grown 32%, compared to a -1 percent trend for non-STEM/Health disciplines. Graduate STEM/Health degrees grew 24%, compared to a -5 percent trend for non-STEM/Health disciplines.

When it was founded, Florida Poly became the only school of its kind in the state, focusing solely on a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum.

Today, the school has nearly 1,500 students pursuing BS and MS degrees in more than 20 academic programs, including:

Intelligent Mobility

Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Quantitative Economics and Econometrics

Digital Logic Design

Embedded System Design

Machine Intelligence

Computer Engineering

Game Development & Simulation

Information Assurance & Cyber-Security

Software Engineering

Computer Science

Big Data Analytics

Health Informatics

Control Systems

Electrodynamics

Renewable Energy

Electrical Engineering

Materials and Advanced Manufacturing

Nanotechnology

Operations Research

Mechanical Engineering

Environmental Engineering

Engineering Mathematics

Engineering Physics

Learning through doing

A key component of the educational experience at Florida Poly is the school's commitment to a "learning through doing" approach. This is facilitated by the diverse array of Innovation Labs located on campus, where students can apply and build upon what they are learning in the classroom through hands-on research projects using the most cutting-edge equipment available.

Labs include:

Mechanical Engineering Lab

Entrepreneurship Lab

Visualization and Technology Collaboration Robotics Lab

Game Development, Simulation and Digital Media Lab

Rapid Development Makerspace Lab

Cybersecurity Lab

Big Data & Health Informatics Lab

One of the most essential aspects of Florida Poly's dedication to helping students develop the practical skills and knowledge they will need to thrive in the real world is the school's partnerships with various business in the community. Among their partners are:

Act Environmental

Apex IT

ASI Chemical Blending & Packaging

Bravado Health

Cisco

Coca-Cola

CSX

Daikin Applied

Electronic Arts

Florida Chamber of Commerce

JBT FoodTech

Lockheed Martin

Microsoft

Nielsen

Publix

WellDyne

Before graduating, all Florida Poly students are required to secure an internship in order to gain further practical experience that will strengthen their skillsets and enhance their attractiveness to future employers.

Life on campus

The heart of 170-acre campus is the Innovation, Science and Technology (IST) Building, an architecturally stunning facility that boasts more than 25 classrooms and the aforementioned 11 Innovation Laboratories.

Located just steps away from the IST Building are two highly modern, fully furnished residence halls that are more like apartments than dormitories. Each hall offers a variety of amenities designed to make student life as comfortable as possible. These include:

High-speed internet access

In-suite washers and dryers

Study lounges

Computer centers

Entertainment rooms

Gaming areas

Washer and Dryer in each suite

For adventurous students, Florida Poly's location in Central Florida makes it an excellent home base from which to explore the wide variety of cultural, social and outdoors opportunities that the state has to offer. The city of Lakeland boasts a vibrant downtown that is teeming with shops, restaurants and parks. Only a 45 minute drive East is culturally diverse Tampa, and 45 minutes West is Orlando, renowned for its world-class theme parks.

Highly selective, highly affordable

Because of its rigorous and highly technical curriculum, Florida Poly attracts a selective group of students who are academically-minded and focused on preparing themselves for successful futures. The average ACT/SAT scores of the admitted freshmen class are 28.6/1285, and the average GPA is 3.9. This creates a lively learning environment in which students push themselves and one another to realize their full potential.

While it is one of the most selective universities in the state, Florida Poly is also the most affordable institution in the Florida State University System. In-state tuition is only $4,940, while out-of-state tuition is around $21,000. Nowhere else can students receive such a high-quality STEM education at such a reasonable price.

To further assist students, the school offers generous need-based and merit-based scholarships as well as access to programs such as Florida Bright Futures, an academic merit aid program designed to help in-state freshman defray the cost of their education. In fact, 72% of freshmen earn Bright Futures scholarships (many that fully cover the cost of tuition) and well over half of Florida Poly freshmen require no student loans at all.

An eye on tomorrow

While Florida Poly is proud of the educational opportunities that they currently provide to their students, they are not satisfied to rest on their laurels. That is why they have recently launched a five-year strategic plan called, "Advancing to Excellence." Its four main priorities are:

Degree alignment

Student success

Economic development

Affordability and efficiency

More specifically, it aims to influence the economic development of the surrounding areas and create a research park that will bring industry, academia and government together in a synergistic relationship that will benefit all. The school also plans to introduce five new programs in engineering and the applied sciences as well as new graduate tracks in robotics, control systems, logistics and data analytics.

Aspiring students will have the unique opportunity to benefit from this ambitious effort, which will firmly cement Florida Poly's position as one of the nation's finest STEM-based educational institutions of higher learning.